Roll out formwork support

ABSTRACT

A removable support mounted on a structural column to shore formwork during the forming of a concrete floor slab thereon and then strips and rolls out the formwork intact for reuse in forming successively higher floor slabs. The bracket of the support carries vertically aligned weight bearing elements including a depending lift screw and a wing nut thereon, and rigid and roller elements controlled thereby that selectively engage the formwork. The roller is at the top of the bracket and a U-shaped rigid element has its bight portion carried on the depending lift screw for adjustment by the winged nut with its arms slidably guided by the bracket past the roller for elevation to its formwork supporting position.

United States Patent [191 Lane [ Mar. 19, 1974 1 1 ROLL OUT FORMWORK SUPPORT [75] inventor: Bill M. Lane, Los Angeles, Calif.

[73] Assignee: Waco Scaffold & Shoring Co.,

Division of Bliss & Laughlin Industries, Inc., Schiller Park, Ill.

22 Filed: Jan. 16,1973

21 Appl. No.: 324,163

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 264,277, June 19,

1972, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 248/295, 249/219 R [51] Int. Cl..... A47f 5/10, A47h 33/00, E04g 17/16 [58] Field of Search 248/295; 249/219 R, 20,

[56,] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1900 Weidman 16/32 8/1930 Hermes 16/32 X l/l956 7 Hawthorne 248/219 R X 3,504,879 4/1970 Strickland 249/219 R X 2.386.525 10/1945 White 249/18 UX Primary Examiner-J. Franklin Foss Attomey Agent, or Firm-Harbaugh and Thomas [5 7] ABSTRACT A removable support mounted on a structural column to shore formwork during theforming of a concrete floor slab thereon and then strips and rolls out the formwork intact for reuse in forming successively higher'floor slabs. The bracket of the support carries vertically aligned weight bearing elements including a depending lift screw and a wing nut thereon, and rigid and roller elements controlled thereby that selectively engage the formwork. The roller is at the top of the bracket and a U-shaped rigid element has its bight portion carried on the depending lift screw for adjustment by the winged nut with its arms slidably guided by the bracket past the roller for elevation to its formwork supporting position.

' 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED MAR 19 I974 gig FIG. 4

ROLL OUT FORMWORK SUPPORT CROSS REFERENCE This is a continuation, of U.S. Pat. application Ser.No. 264,277, filed June 19, 1972 now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Form roll-out supports mounted on structural columns of a building under construction have been used and re-used heretofore to support formwork during pouring operation without any construction load on a preceding floor, and then to lower the formwork onto laterally spaced rollers by which the formwork can be rolled out intact and re-used for successive sections of flooring. However. the working space afforded at the top of the support for handling and adjusting the working tools, is cramped and is limited as to height above the bracket if the bracket is located high enough on a structural column to save some tool weight and still adequately hold the formwork rigidly in place during and after slab pouring operations without need for reshoring. On the other hand, if manipulation is from below the bracket. rotatable jack screws and concealed mating threads have been employed which are difficult to service and keep clean. Difficulties in mounting, adjusting, servicing and removing the formwork are time consuming and often encounter contract time penalties as well as inhibit the use of unitary multilevel forms in some applications.

Also, due to height of supports and the adjustment for rigidity of the formwork support, special tools are required, female threads are fouled and male threads are difficult to clear of damaging corrosive cement, and loads are unbalanced with respect to alternate functions of the bracket.

Furthermore, due to their high location and limited clearance relationship, adjustable jack screw mechanisms are mechanically unitized as a part of the whole I support assembly whose total tool weight must be manually lifted when securing and removing it from its support position.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION In the present invention all weight bearing and adjustable support elementsand functions are vertically aligned. A bracket of comparatively lighter tool weight and size is fastened at vertically spaced points high on a structural column and is elongated with its greatest support strength vertically oriented. A roll out roller is journalled at the top and a lift screw depends from the bracket. A U-shaped support member is slidably received at its bight portion on the lift screw and the arms are disposed upright to be laterally held in guided relation by the body of the'bracket or the roller, or both, if desired, so that all adjustements are accessible below the bracket, without any tools, for a rigid support with respect to the roller as controlled by a winged nut below the bracket on the lift screw.

Some of the advantages are that the bracket can be mounted on the structural column before the U- member and the winged nut are installed and all screw threads are exposed for easy cleaning since the heavy stationary thread is a male thread and is exposed to vigorous wire brushing, if need be. where contamination by cement and dirt is likely to occur.

A further object and advantage is the ready interchangeability and adjustment of different lengths of U- members for special applications which may be quickly and easily made, it being appreciated that the bight portions of the U-members can be slotted or apertured to be moved into place laterally or vertically. The slot or opening need not be large since the jack screw is in tension, rather than compression, and its size may be substantially reduced over that which would be required with compressions stress. In fact, the opening or slot in the bight portion can be quite narrow, whichever is employed, without substantially weakening the engagement, since the winged nut and bottom face of the bight portion transmit the load axially.

A further object of the invention is to free the screw member of any lateral strain transverse to the roller that may occur while supporting formwork and their conveying such to the bracket directly and vertically.

A further advantage is the ease of fabrication, ready interchangeability of parts, and servicing along with minimized effort to adjust the parts with minimum friction and the simplicity of operation, including the tool load being divided while installing.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention secured to a structural column of a building under construction;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. ll;

FIG. 3 is a transverse, medial sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring in further detail to the drawings, a concrete structural column 10, of a building that is being built of reinforced poured concrete, is shown in FIG. 1 supporting formwork 12 upon which concrete is poured to form the slab of the next floor above. After hardening, another series of structural columns 10 will be formed above the hardened slab and the formwork illustrated will be lowered and rolled out intact in a horizontal direction and rigidly relocated on the new columns for reuse in forming the next slab thereon.

Although the frame of the formwork may include I beams, timbers 14 are shown in FIGS. 2-4 by way of simple illustration to support formwork plywood panels thereon (not shown). The column 10 is one of many that are spaced and aligned in parallel rows in a repetitive pattern with each spaced and aligned in parallel rows in a repetitive pattern and each having vertically spaced tubular elements 116, or ty-lags, embedded in them. Removable bolts or studs 18 are received through the elements 16 to accept nuts 20 thereon that clamp a support 22 on one or opposite faces of each structural column to adjustably support the workform or adjacent workforms rigidly thereon, and then support it for roll out removal.

Although the bracket 22 may be fabricated it preferably is a casting of steel, machined and hardened for use and comprising a vertically elongated body portion 24 with vertically spaced holes 26 therethrough extening from a front face 28 to a flat back brace 30 which rests flatly against the column face 32 as viewed in FIG.

4. At the top of the body fore and aft parallel ears 34 are coaxially bored to receive an axle 36 journalling a roller 38.

At the bottom of the ears 34 laterally extending pads 40 are provided as viewed in FIGS. 1-3 to provide horizontally spaced bearing surfaces 42. At the bottom of the body a boss 44 is provided that is vertically bored and threaded as at 46, and cross-bored as at 48 to receive a pin 50. The threaded bore of the boss receives the upper end of a lift screw 52 also having a corresponding cross bore 48A. When threaded into place the pin 50 is inserted in place to prevent loosening as held by a cotter key 54 to provide a semi-permanent installation easily separated if a lift screw of different length is desired.

A U-shaped steel member 56 has an opening 58 in the center of the bight portion 60 thereof which slips over the lift screw 52 with its arms 62 disposed upwardly to pass in close proximity to the pads 40 whereby the surfaces 42 on the pads provide a supporting contact for the arms to prevent lateral sway thereof under load when the arms are in overlapping and weight bearing relationship with respect thereto. The pads may be dispensed with if the roller is of such sides that its surface provides the surfaces 42.

A winged nut 66 having its hub 68 threaded on the lift screw 52 along with a friction washer 70 engages the bight portion 60 and supports the U-member 56 in weight bearing relationship to locate the upper ends 72 thereof either above the roller 38 (FIG. 2) to rigidly support the beam 14 or below the roller (FIG. 3) for the beam to engage the roller when the formwork is dropped and rolled out for reuse at its next position. Tightening the nut 66 brings the U-member 56 into operation while loosening it thereafter brings the roller into operative contact with the formwork beam 16.

Although the winged nut 66 may be adjusted by hand, their location permits them to be remotely adjusted by a forked or cup wrench (not shown) on the upper end of a twist rod and having vertical slots in their upper ends to receive the wings 72 of the winged nut 66 therein in torque transmitting relation. A crook in the lower end of the rod would serve as a crank for an operator standing in the work space below the support 22.

When installing the bracket 22 on a column without the U-member 56 and winged nut 66 in place several alternatives are available with the present invention for saving effort of the workmen or saving time.

In one. the lower one of the bolts 18 can loosely secure the bracket 22 in upside down position and the U- member can be easily dropped on the upended lift screw and the wing nut 66 threaded onto the desired point determining the support position of the U- member. Thereafter. the bracket is turned to its working orientation and the nuts on both bolts tightened.

In another way, the bracket can be lifted and fully fastened in place and then the U-member 56 lifted and caught in position on the lift screw 52 by the starting turns of the winged nut'after which turning of the winged nut by hand or tool can adjust the level of the U-member without its misalignment since the body of the bracket engaging the uprights 62 will prevent relative rotation and the surfaces 42 of the pads 40 will maintain operative position.

In removal, in both instances, the U-member and winged nut may be dropped free and removed for inspection and servicing before re-use even before the final roll out of the formwork takes place and the bracket removed when free of formwork weight.

Thereby the only tactual inspection of the bracket is the tightness of the nuts 20 and bolts 18, and even this can be done from the floor of the work area by a tube slipped over the exposed lift screw and wiggled to test for looseness.

The ability of quickly separating the weight loads of the bracket and U-member into two parts for handling in installing and removing them with respect to their assembled working position, saves work, time and effort for labor and servicemen under what would otherwise be laborious conditions. Also, the simplicity of construction is self-instructing in its operation and contributes to safety and accuracy in installation and use.

What is claimed is:

1. A roll out support reusable on structural columns to shore and roll out formwork for floor slabs in constructing concrete buildings comprising,

a vertically oriented bracket means,

a roller mounted on the upper end of the bracket in journalled load receiving relationship,

a lift screw means supported at a fixed level by and depending from said bracket means,

a U-member telescopically received on the depending end of said lift screw and spanning said bracket with its upwardly extending arms,

nut means received on said lift screw for raising and lowering the upper end of said U-member past the level of the roller for formwork load bearing purposes, and

means for securing said bracket on one of said structural columns.

2. The support defined in claim 1 including guide means on said bracket for engagement with said U- member arms in guided relationship below said roller.

3. The support defined in claim 1 in which said lift screw is threaded to said bracket means in axially weight supporting relationship, and including means interconnecting said lift screw and bracket to secure them against relative rotation.

4. The support defined in claim 1 including means for rotating said lift screw means and nut means with respect to each other for adjusting the vertical position of the U-member with respect to said lift screw means and bracket.

5. The support defined in claim 1 in which the axes of said roller, said lift screw, said nut means, said U- member and said bracket securing means lie in a common vertical plane.

6. The support defined in claim 1 in which said bracket securing means comprises a plurality of threaded members engaging said structural column on vertically spaced axes. 

1. A roll out support reusable on structural columns to shore and roll out formwork for floor slabs in constructing concrete buildings comprising, a vertically oriented bracket means, a roller mounted on the upper end of the bracket in journalled load receiving relationship, a lift screw means supported at a fixed level by and depending from said bracket means, a U-member telescopically received on the depending end of said lift screw and spanning said bracket with its upwardly extending arms, nut means received on said lift screw for raising and lowering the upper end of said U-member past the level of the roller for formwork load bearing purposes, and means for securing said bracket on one of said structural columns.
 2. The support defined in claim 1 including guide means on said bracket for engagement with said U-member arms in guided relationship below said roller.
 3. The support defined in claim 1 in which said lift screw is threaded to said bracket means in axially weight supporting relationship, and including means interconnecting said lift screw and bracket to secure them against relative rotation.
 4. The support defined in claim 1 including means for rotating said lift screw means and nut means with respect to each other for adjusting the vertical position of the U-member with respect to said lift screw means and bracket.
 5. The support defined in claim 1 in which the axes of said roller, said lift screw, said nut means, said U-member and said bracket securing means lie in a common vertical plane.
 6. The support defined in claim 1 in which said bracket securing means comprises a plurality of threaded members engaging said structural column on vertically spaced axes. 